Australia’s first ever Dreamliner passenger flight touched down at Sydney Airport today, as the airport welcomed direct services from Delhi to Sydney with Air India.

“Sydney Airport is very pleased to welcome Air India back to Sydney after a 22-year absence,” Sydney Airport Chief Executive Officer, Kerrie Mather, said.

“India is Australia’s largest unserved market. Last year, around 140,000 passengers travelled between Delhi and Sydney via Asian hubs.

“Sydney has Australia’s highest number of residents with Indian ancestry – with 217,000 people of Indian descent, 88,000 of whom were born in India – so there is strong demand for direct services between India and Sydney.

“As Australia’s tourism, business and economic centre, and with a large Indian population, Sydney is an ideal destination for Air India.

“We expect that these direct services will boost tourism and trade between the two countries.”

Air India’s daily service direct from Delhi to Sydney operates a 256-seater Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner with lie flat business class seats, larger windows and cleaner air.

“This new Air India service provides travellers with a fantastic product, as the Dreamliner is modern, more fuel efficient and has a smaller noise footprint than older aircraft,” Ms Mather said.

“Sydney Airport is already a popular hub for next generation aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and the Dreamliner adds to our suite of modern aviation technology.”

The new direct service was secured with the support of NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell, Destination NSW, Tourism Australia and Delhi Airport.

Delhi International Airport CEO, I. Prabhakara Rao, said the airport is pleased to now offer a direct service to Sydney.

“The Sydney service has been long awaited and with this, we have connected not just two great cities, but two great continents,” Mr Rao said.

“Sydney has continuously ranked amongst our top five potential destinations – based on passenger demand – that needed connectivity. With the advent of a non-stop service to Sydney aboard Air India’s Dreamliner, we are convinced that the market will only grow. Our commitment to working with our stakeholders, airline partners and airport colleagues remains undeterred.”